Cable manufacturing apparatus



Sept. 12, 1939. Q A SEELEY CABLE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 n. NN S VI vl Fcl,... 0

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Sept. 12, 1939.

G, AA SEELEY CABLE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1958 654 53 62 se :s

ATTORNEY Sept. 12, 1939. Q A SEELEY 2,172,945

CABLE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 vl/Wrox G. A. 55625) Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES 2,112,945 cALE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS George A.

Seeley, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York vApplication October 19, 1938, Serial No. 235,798

18 Claims.

This invention relates to cable manufacturing apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for assembling a group of wires on slotted washers to form a cable composed of wires spaced one from another. v

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple apparatus for quickly assembling strands and spacers to form a cable.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, slotted washers or spacers are fed from a magazine one at a time to an assembling po- '.sition by a plunger, which carries them in an arcuatepath from the magazine to the assembling position while the wires to 'be assembled 5 with the spacers are stationary and which feeds them along a predetermined path through the assembling position simultaneously with the feeding of the wires. A plurality of wire-pressing l members, which are adjustable radially with respect to the cable, are positioned at the assembling position for forcing the wires into the slots a predetermined distance, depending upon the position to which the pressing members are adjusted. A plurality lof cams mounted upon a g drive shaft control the movement of the plunger and the feeding of the cable, which is effected by means of a pair of cable gripping members, one of which is xed and the other of which is movable. The spacing of the washers in the cable may be adjusted by changing the stroke of the cam which feeds the cable.

A better understanding of the invention, as brieily described hereinbefore, may be had by reference to the following specification, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cable assembling apparatus embodying the invention, parts being broken away to conserve space;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the structure shown in Fig. l, parts also being broken away in this figure to conserve space;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1

in the direction of the arrows, showing a part of the cable feeding mechanism;

Fig. 4" is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 'I is a fragmentary view of a cable of the type produced by the apparatus covered by this application;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2 in the di- 6 rection of the arrows;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of part of the apparatus adjacent the assembling position taken substantially along the line 9-9 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows, the wires, spacers and l0 wire-pressing members being omitted to more clearly illustrate the means for guiding the wires and the construction of the end of the plunger;

Fig. l0 isa fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along me une Io-m of Fig. 2 in 15 the direction of the arrows, showing the mounting for the wire-pressing members; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view, taken on the line II-II of Fig. 10 in the-direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like refer- 20 ence characters designate the same vparts throughout the several views, the numeral I0 designates the bed or base of the apparatus, which may be mounted upon suitable standards, not shown, or on a bench. Extending upwardly from 25 the base I0 are'a pair of bearings II and I2 for rotatably supporting a shaft I3, which may be driven in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a belt or a crank, not shown. The shaft I3 has mouned thereon three cams Il, I5 3o and I5 for driving the various movable parts of the apparatus. The cam I4 actuates the mechanism for transferring washers or spacers I9 from a magazine I1 to an assembling position, designated generally by the numeral I8, whereas the 35 cam I5 serves to drive the cable in its step-bystep movement through mechanism to be described hereinafter and to move the washer or spacer I9 through the assembling position. Cam I6 serves to control the operation of the cable- 40 feeding means, to be described hereinafter in detail.

Cooperating with the cam I4 is a cam roller 30, rotatably mounted in the right end (Figs. 1 and 4) of a drive rod 3I. Thedrive rod 3| has a 45 shoulder 32 formed thereon (Fig. 4) for engaging a compression spring 33, positioned between the shoulder 32 and a shoulder 3|, formed on a bearing block 35. The bearing block 35 rotatably supports a hollow stud shaft 35 having gear 50 teeth 31 formed thereon, which mesh with a rack 38.

Formed in the bearing block 35 is a guideway 45 in which the rack 3B and the drive rod 3| are slidable. Means is provided for interconnect- 55 g the racl; and drive rod, which comprises a houldered pin il@ threaded into the racl.; and ngaged in a slot Lll in the drive rod ill. A spring 3 encircling the pin and seated in a depression id in the drive rod 3l abuts the end of the rack 38 and serves to up the shoclr of the driving cam lll. lt will thus be apparent that the cam roller ld will, at predetermined times in the cycle of operation, move the raclr SS to the (Figs. l, 2 and 4) against the energy stored in the spring 33 and that the spring will urge the raclr to return into the position which it is shown in L g".

The hollow shaft is termed integral with a semi-circular member fl@ which has a plunger il@ slidably mounted in it. The plunger is provided with an irregularly shaped passage lil, normally communicating with a passage in the hollow shaft, and has a reduced portion slidably mounted a collar threaded into 'the semi-circular member llt'. ifi coiled spring encircles the reduced portion oi the plunger and is interposed between the collar ifl and a cap 55 'lined on the end oi the reduced portion normally to urge the plunger to the right (Figs. l, l and 5).

An actuating shoulder t@ formed on the plunger el) extends outwardly beyond the semicircular member GQ and into 'the path of a push rod @l having a cam roller (i2 mounted in its right end (Fig. 4;) and adapted to be driven by the cam l5 at predetermined times in the cycle of the operation of the machine. The left end (Figs. l and 5) oi 'the plunger titl has a spacerreceiving pocket (i3 formed therein for carrying a spacer l@ from the magazine il into position to be assembled with the four wires mailing the cable, as will be described hereinafter From the description thus far, it will be apparent that the semi-circular member d@ will be oscillated by the rack when the rack is reciprocated, movement of the racl: to the left rotating the semi-circular member il@ in a cloclrwise direction to bring the plunger t@ into alignment with the magazine ll and movement of the raclr to the right, rotating it back to the position shown in Fig. 5.

The magazine lll comprises a guide member 5l] having a passage uit therein through which the spacers l@ are :ted to the plunger tit, and a pair of guide ngers t@ mounted on the member til and having ns 64 extending into the slots in the spacers I0. The ns Gil extend into the passage 50 throughout its length and accurately position the spacers in the pocket 03 in the plunger 50 so that when the plunger is rocked to the position shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, it will hold the spacer I9 with lthe slots therein in alignment with the Wire to be forced into them.

The magazine l|`| is mounted upon a guide block 1B, which has an opening 11 formed therein in which the member 5l is seated. This guide block 16 partially encircles the member 49 and has an extending portion 18 which serves to guide the plunger 50 and which has four slots 19, 80, 8| and 82 formed therein for directing the four wires 83, 84, 85 and 86 to the assembling position I8.

The hollow shaft 36 is connected by means of a iiexible hose 90 to a suitable evacuating pump (not shown) so that spacers from the magazine I1, which drop into the pocket 63, will be held thereon by suction so long as the passage 5| in the feed slide is in communication with the passage 52 in the stud shaft. Four tapered slots ait/asas are formed in the left end oi' the plunger t0 to permit the slide to be moved forwardly or to the left (Figs. l and 5) into a position where the spacer carried by it will have been forced into gripping engagement with the four wires lill, 85 and which are ted in from suitable supplies (not shown) through the slots lll and t2, respectively. formed in the guide bloeit A group of four presser rolls ill, Q3 and are provided for forcing the wires into the slots in the spacers dining the deu livery oi" the spacers to the assembling station. lil. These presser rolls all of the saine lconstruction and are mounted on bloclrs it@ secured to the base to, two of the rollers being 't' mounted to rotate upon a collar QU, which conr-I prises a sleeve portion Sli and a shoulder por-- tion eccentrically mounted on a shouldered bolt which is screwed into a presser roll suplPIE'S.

porting block lil@ mounted on the base lll. il) and il show method oi moun' presser roll QC- and illustrate the m which the other rolls are mounted, a being provided for holding the collo1 @il in position on the bloclr. id@ in any or its adjusted positions, whereby the distance cli presser roll will force associated wire into the spacer may be determined with a high degree of accuracy.

The means for feeding the cable past 'the assembling station and drawing the wires into the assembling station comprises a pair of clamping devices designated generally by the numerals llll and lili). rihe clamping device M12 is movable as a unit with respect to the base and comprises a main clamping plate ldd and a pivoted clamping plate Miti. rilhe plate llllll is slidable on the base lll, being clamped thereto by means of a shouldered slide plate lllli, which has a portion lill extending through a slot in the base and being secured to the main clamping plate lili'. by means of a pair oi bolts llltl and llil. A bolt lll threaded into the clamping plate itt extends upwardly through a hole H2 in a horizontally extending portion lid of the main clamping plate MM and is normally urged upwardly by a coll spring l lt interposed between the horizontally disposed portion H4 oi the clamping plate l# and a nut H5 threaded on the upper end of the bolt IIl. The spring H3 will thus urge the plate to rock in a clockwise direction about a tube IlG .secured in the end portions of the main clamping plate |04. The right ends (Fig. 3) of the clamping plates |04 and |05 have semi-circular cutouts formed therein at I I8 and H9, respectively, for engaging a formed cable when the spring ||3 is permitted to rotate the plate |05 with respect to the plate |04. The left end (Fig. 3) of the plate |04 has a pair of apertures |20 formed in the `vertically extending portions thereof, as may be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 3.

Slidably mounted in the aperture 20 at the left in Fig. l is an adjustable sleeve |2I, which is threaded onto a push rod |22 and locked in place thereon by any suitable lock nut, such as shown at |23. 'Ihe right end of the sleeve |2| .is tapered, as shown at |24, to engage with a.

cam surface formed on the clamping plate |05. It will thus be apparent that when the rod |22 is moved to the right with respect to the clamping device |02, the tapered portion |24 of the sleeve |2I will engage the cam surface iid, Gil and 1,

dit

|25 to rock the plate |05 counter-clockwise with respect to the plate |04, thereby to release the clamping action of the plates |04 and |06 on a cable positioned between the clamping members. The clamping device |03 is substantially the same in construction as the clamping device |02, except that it is not slidable on the base I0, and its associated sleeve |3|, which is similar to the sleeve |2I, cooperates with a camming surface |32 when the. rod |22 is moved to the left to effect release of the clamping device |03. The rod |22 is threaded at its right end into a cam roller supporting slide |33 and a spring |34 is interposed between the presser roll supporting blockl |00, which supports presser roll 9|, and

' the slide |33, whereby the slide |33 is normally urged to the right (Figs. 1 and 4) to move a cam roller |30, rotatable therein, against its associated cam I6.

The clamping device |03 comprises a main clamping plate |40 and a pivoted clamping plate I4| and the clamping plates are pivoted with respect to one another by a sleeve |42 through which there is slidable a push rod |43, which has its right end fixed in the rod 6I. Threaded on the left end of the push rod |43 are a pair of lock nuts |45 and |46, which may be adjusted on the rod |43 to determine the time at which the rod |43, in its movement, will actuate the movable clamping device I 02. One end of a spring |41 is fixed to the base I0 and the other end thereof is fixed to the screw |09 for urging the clamping device |02 to the right (Figs. 1 and 2). The extreme left end ofthe rod |43 extends into the sleeve II6 and the rod is normally urged to the right (Fig. 1) by a spring |50, which is interposed between the fixed clamping device |03 and the rod 6|, whereby the cam roller 62 is heldin engagement with the cam I5.

It is believed that a better understanding of the invention may be had by the following brief description of the operation of the embodiment thereof which is disclosed herein.

Let it be assumed that a short section of cable has been formed in any suitable manner, for example, by' fitting the spacers I9 and wires together by hand and drawn through the clamping devices |02 and |03 until a portion of cable is in position, as shown in the various figures, and that a supply of spacers I9 are in the magazine I1 and one spacer is in the pocket 63 of the plunger 50. After the machine has thus been put in readiness for operation, rotation may be imparted to the shaft I3 in a clockwise direction, thereby to cause the cable to be fed and formed. As will be apparent, by reference to Fig. 2, the drive rod 3| will remain stationary for approximately three-quarters .of a turn of the shaft I3. The cam I5 will move its associated cam roller 62 to the left, and in so doing, will move the clamping device |02 to the left to feed the cable through the apparatus and draw the wires 93, 84, 05 and 86 through the slots 19, 80, 8| and 02 into engagement with a spacer, which is also being fed to the left by the shoulder 60, which is in the path of the push rod 6|, and will therefore push a spacer seated in the pocket 63 into engagement with the wires. Continued movement of the clamping device |02 and the plunger 50 to the left willmove the spacer I9 in the pocket 63 t0 the center of the presser rolls 9|, 92, 93 and 94. It will also be apparent, by reference to Fig. 2, that the cam I6, in the position shown, has driven the rod |22 to the left a. distance sufficient to cause its tapered end to engage the camming surface |32 on the clamping plate I4I, thereby to release the clamping device |03, and that the clamping device |03 will be held released for approximately one-fourth of a turn of the shaft I3. After the shaft I3 is turned approximately one-fourth of a turn from the position shown in Fig. 2, the cam I will permit the rod |22 to move to the right (Fig. 1) to bring the tapered portion |24 of the sleeve I2I into engagement with the camming surface |25 on the pivoted clamping plate |05 to release the clamping device |02 from the cable. After the clamping device |02 is released from the cable, and this occurs after approximately one-half turn of the shaft |3, the clamping device |02 will be moved to the right by the spring |41, and as soon as the clamping device |02 gets into the position shown, which is its normal position, its camming surface |25 will be disengaged from the tapered portion |24 from the sleeve |2| and it will again grip the cable. Just prior to the movement of the clamping device |02 to the right, the clamping device |03 will become effective to clamp the cable and prevent movement of the cable to the right. 'I'his occurs upon the withdrawal of sleeve I3| from engagement with the camming surface |32. After threefourths of a revolution of the shaft I3, cam I4 becomes effective to reciprocate the rack 30, thereby to cause the semi-cylindrical member 49 to be oscillated rst in a clockwisedireetion and then in a. counter-clockwise direction to pick up a spacer I9 from the magazine I1 and deliver it to position to be advanced to the left in the next cycle of the shaft I3. It will be noted that the hose 90 applies a suction to the spacer in the pocket 63 only so long as the passage 52 in the stud shaft 30 is in communication with the passage I in the plunger 60 and that as soon as the spacer carried in the pocket 63 has had the wires firmly wedged in its slots, the suction will be released and continued forward movement of the plunger for a short distance will simply aid in feeding the spacer to the left, where the wires will hold it until the plunger 50 is withdrawn. After a cable has thus been formed, it may be wrapped with superposed layers of insulating material and a suitable shield applied thereon in any desirable manner to form a cable such as that shown in Fig. 7, wherein, for example, the four wires 03, 04, 05 and 06 are wedged in slots in spacers I0 and are then wrapped with layers of metallic foil and insulating material.

What is claimed is: y y 1. A cable-forming apparatus comprising means for feeding insulators to an assembling point, means for drawing a plurality of wires past said assembling point, and means at said assembling point for forcing the wires and insulators into intimate engagement.

f 2. A cable-forming apparatus comprising means for feeding insulators to an assembling point, means for drawing a plurality of wires past said assembling point, and means at said assembling point for forcing the insulators and wires into interlocking engagement.

3. A 'cable-forming apparatus comprising cable advancing means, spacer feeding means operable in timed relation to the operation of the cable advancing means, and means for forcing the wires into interlocking engagement with the spacers.

4. A cable-forming apparatus for forming cable composed of notched spacers and spaced lil strands comprising means for advancing the cable, means for feeding spacers to a predetermined position, and means for forcing the strands into intimate engagement with the spacers while they are moving.

'5. A cable-forming apparatus comprising means for advancing a cable, means for feeding spacers to a predetermined. position in timed relation to the advancement of the cable, and means for forcing the strands into gripping engagement with the spacers.

6. A cable-forming apparatus comprising intermittently operable cable advancing means, insulator feeding means operable in timed relation to the advancement of the cable, and means in said insulator feeding means including a plunger for Wedging an insulator between the Wires of the cable.

'7. In va cable-forming apparatus, means for advancing the cable, a set of Wedging members associated with said advancing means, means for directing strands to be formed .into the cable into engagement with the Wedging members, and insulator feeding means for feeding insulators into association with the Wedging members.

8. In a cable-forming apparatus, means for advancing the cable, a set of Wedging members associated with said advancing means, means for directing strands to be formed into the cable into engagement with the Wedging members, insulator feeding means for feeding insulators into association with the wedging members, and means for adjusting said wedging members radially of the cable to determine the distance they Will force the strands into the insulators.

9. In a cable-forming apparatus, a magazine for supporting a plurality of spacing insulators, Oscillatable means for removing insulators from said magazine one at a time and for carrying them to a position adjacent an assembly station, means for reciprocating a portion of said oscillatable means to move an insulator into wedging engagement with a plurality lof Wires, a set 0f presser rolls for pressing the Wires into intimate engagement with the insulators, and means for drawing the Wires past said assembly station.

10. In a cable-forming apparatus, a cam shaft carrying a plurality of cams, a plunger adapted to be oscillated by one of said cams and reciprocated by another of said cams, a pocket formed in the end of said plunger, a magazine for supporting a plurality of spacers adjacent one position of said oscillatable plunger, a passage communicating with said magazine for directing a spacer from the magazine tdthepocket in the plunger, a suction line communicating with said pocket for holding a spacer in said pocket during the oscillation of the plunger in one direction and during a part of the reciprocation of the plunger, and means associated with said plunger for forcing strands into intimate engagement with a spacer carried by the plunger.

11. In a cable-forming apparatus, clamping devices movable with respect to one another for imparting intermittent movement to a cable, and

a spacer feeding plunger operable in timed relation to the operation of said clamping devices,

12. In a cable-forming apparatus, a pair of clamping devices movable with respect to one another for imparting intermittent movement to a cable, a spacer feeding plunger operable in timed relation to the operation of said clamping attacca devices, and a set of presser rolls cooperating with the clamping devices and the plunger for forcing strands into the spacers.

13. In a cable-forming apparatus, a pair of clamping devices movable with respect to one another for imparting intermittent movement to a cable, a spacer feeding plunger operable in timed relation to the operation of said clamping devices, a set of presser rolls cooperating with the clamping devices and the plunger for forcing strands into the spacers, and means operable in timed relation to the operation of the plunger for alternately opening and closing said clamping devices.

14. An apparatus for assembling Wires on multi-slotted spacers including clamping mechanisms for intermittently advancing the wires, a spacer feeding plunger for feeding spacers to the wires, and a set of adjustable presser rolls for forcing the wires into the slots in the spacers.

l5. An apparatus for assembling wires on multi-slotted spacers including clamping mechanisms for intermittently advancingthe Wires, a

spacer feeding plunger for feeding spacers to the wires in timed relation to the operation of the clamping mechanisms, and a set of adjustable presser rolls for forcing the wires into the slots in the spacers.

16. In a cable-forming apparatus, a plurality of cam actuated push rods, a spacci' feeding plunger oscillated by one of said push rods and reciprocated by another of said push rods, a pair of clamping devices movable relative one to another and controlled by said push rods, a magazine for supporting a supply of spacers adjacent said plungena cam shaft carrying a series of cams associated with said push rods for oscillating the plunger into association with the magazine and back to the normal position and reciprocating the plunger while the clamping devices are clamping and releasing a cable and advancing it, and a series of rollers associated with the plunger for forcing the Wires of the cable into the spacers.

17. In a cable-forming apparatus, a plurality of cam actuated push rods, a spacer feeding plunger oscillated by one of said push rods and reciprocated by another of said push rods, a pair of clamping devices movable relative .one to another andcontrolled by said push rods, a magazine for supporting a supply of spacers adjacent said plunger, a cam shaft carrying a series of cams associated with said push rods for oscillating the plunger into association with the magazine and back to the normal position and reciprocating the plunger while the clamping devices are claming and releasing a cable and advancing it, a series of presser rolls associated with the plunger for forcing the wires of the cable into the spacers, and means for adjusting the position of the presser rolls to determine the distance the wires are forced into the spacers.

18. In a cable-forming apparatus, a magazine for supporting a plurality of spacing insulators, oscillatable means for removing insulators from saidV magazinel one at a time and for carrying them to a position adjacent an assembly station, and means for reciprocating a portion of said oscillatable means to move an insulator into wedging engagement with a plurality of wires,

GEORGE A. SEELEY. 

